In our daily Pittsburgh Pirates Wake-Up Call, one of our writers gives his or her thoughts on all things Pirates, whether it be the game from the day before, off-the-field news, or anything at all going on in the world of the Pirates.
The Pirates, who knew extra innings quite well last season, came out on the right side of their first extra inning contest on Tuesday as they walked off the Cardinals 6-5. It’s wonderful to be 2-0 to start the year and, just as importantly, up two games on the Cardinals early. A quick tidbit on that from Joe Block:
First time #Pirates up 2 games on #StlCards since Sept. 3, 2013
— Joe Block (@joe_block) April 6, 2016
That didn’t turn into an NL Central title, but maybe this year is different.
It’s still very early, and it’s important for everyone to keep that in mind. But it’s just as important for the Pirates to start hot, which is what they’re doing so far. A hot April could be the difference between a division title and a Wild card spot, or a Wild Card spot and missing the playoffs.
There was plenty that stood out from this game. First and foremost, the defense for the Pirates was atrocious, a common theme for the team so far. On Sunday, Jordy Mercer missed a grounder and Francisco Cervelli threw a ball into center field. Last night, Gregory Polanco misread a ball in the outfield and Starling Marte seemingly lollygagged towards a ground-rule double that could have been a catch and over-ran a grounder. For two players that are supposed to be great defenders for a long time, it was not a good defensive game.
The Pirates also failed to reach base from the 6th through the 10th innings, with a lot of strikeouts thrown in there. But eventually a lead-off walk by Polanco in the 11th would turn into the game-winning run as Mercer singled down the line to walk-off the Cardinals.
The Pirates held the Cardinals to 1-12 with RISP (the Pirates were 2-6). Tony Watson and Neftali Feliz continue to look strong so far, while Mark Melancon is starting off slowly. But we know the struggles he faced last season and how he rebounded tremendously.
In off-the-field news, the Pirates held a press conference to officially announce the Polanco extension. During the conference, Neal Huntington noted how this deal was a few years in the making (lending credence to the rumors about a rejected contract offer by Polanco two springs ago). He also brushed off a question about how the contract impacts Andrew McCutchen‘s future with the team, which makes sense; he’s not going to dig into that topic if he doesn’t have to.
The Pirates take on the Cardinals tomorrow night at 7:05 PM as Juan Nicasio makes his debut as a starter after a phenomenal spring training. They’ll face Mike Leake in his debut with his new team.
As always, here are some links from around the net that you all should check out. Enjoy!
ESPN graded the top pitching staffs in all of baseball (subscription required). Our Pirates came in at a B for the rotation, a B+ for the bullpen, and a B+ overall.
David Ortiz hit his fifth Opening Day home run as he starts his farewell tour this season.
And Justin Verlander got the the first hit for an American League pitcher on Opening Day since 1972. Pretty cool.
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